Server, communication system, method for controlling communication system, and program

ABSTRACT

A server includes drawing means for drawing an item by lottery from among an item group including a plurality of types of items with different scarcity values and providing the item to a user, and additional item providing means for providing an additional item to the user in accordance with a provision count of the number of times an item is provided by the drawing means.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/649,823 filed Jul. 14, 2017, which in turn is a Continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/146,212, filed May 4, 2016, and issued asU.S. Pat. No. 9,737,805 on Aug. 22, 2017, which in turn is aContinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/229,511, filed Mar.28, 2014 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,361,761 on Jun. 7, 2016, which inturn claims priority to and the benefit of Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. 2013-072333 filed Mar. 29, 2013, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a server that provides a game, to acommunication system, to a method for controlling a communicationsystem, and to a program

BACKGROUND ART

A competitive game server has been proposed to form a player's deck fromgame cards or the like stored for each user in the competitive gameserver and to allow multiple players to compete based on the attackstrength and defense strength of the deck (for example, see PatentLiterature 1). In such a competitive game server, a user acquires a gamecard by methods such as purchasing the game card or obtaining the gamecard by winning a match against a competitor.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: JP2008-220984A

In a conventional competitive game server, however, the methods foracquiring game cards and the like are limited, causing the user to loseinterest in the game.

The present invention has been conceived in light of the abovecircumstances and therefore provides a server, a communication system,and a method for controlling a communication system that can increasethe variations on methods for acquiring game cards and the like.

Solution to Problem

In order to resolve the above problem, a server according to the presentinvention includes drawing means for drawing an item by lottery fromamong an item group including a plurality of types of items withdifferent scarcity values and providing the item to a user, andadditional item providing means for providing an additional item to theuser in accordance with a provision count of a number of times an itemis provided by the drawing means.

In the server according to the present invention, the additional itemproviding means may provide the additional item to the user by includingat least one additional item in the item group when the provision countis at least a predetermined count.

In the server according to the present invention, the additional itemproviding means may provide the additional item to the user by includingat least one additional item in the item group for a predetermined timestarting when the provision count reaches at 1 east a predeterminedcount.

In the server according to the present invention, the additional itemproviding means may provide the additional item to the user by includingat least one additional item in the item group in accordance with theprovision count.

In the server according to the present invention, the additional itemproviding means may also provide an additional item to the user inaccordance with the item drawn by lottery by the drawing means.

In the server according to the present invention, the server may alsotransmit information on the reception count to the user.

A communication system according to the present invention includes aserver and a communication terminal, the server providing an item to thecommunication terminal in response to a request from the communicationterminal, such that the communication terminal transmits an itemacquisition request to the server, and the server provides an item tothe communication terminal with drawing means for drawing the item bylottery from among an item group including a plurality of types of itemswith different scarcity values, and provides an additional item to thecommunication terminal with additional item providing means inaccordance with a provision count of a number of times an item isprovided by the drawing means.

In the communication system according to the present invention, theadditional item providing means may provide the additional item to thecommunication terminal by including at least one additional item in theitem group when the provision count is at least a predetermined count.

In the communication system according to the present invention, theadditional item providing means may provide the additional item to thecommunication terminal by including at least one additional item in theitem group for a predetermined time starting when the provision countreaches at least a predetermined count.

In the communication system according to the present invention, theadditional item providing means may provide the additional item to thecommunication terminal by including at least one additional item in theitem group in accordance with the provision count.

In the communication system according to the present invention, theadditional item providing means may also provide an additional item tothe communication terminal in accordance with the item drawn by lotteryby the drawing means.

In the communication system according to the present invention, theserver may also transmit information on the reception count to thecommunication terminal.

A method according to the present invention for controlling acommunication system including a server and a communication terminal,the server providing an item to the communication terminal in responseto a request from the communication terminal includes the steps of (a)transmitting, by the communication terminal, an item acquisition requestto the server; (b) providing, by the server, an item to thecommunication terminal with drawing means for drawing the item bylottery from among an item group including a plurality of types of itemswith different scarcity values; and (c) providing, by the server, anadditional item to the communication terminal with additional itemproviding means in accordance with a provision count of a number oftimes an item is provided by the drawing means.

In the method according to the present invention for controlling acommunication system, in step (c), the additional item may be providedto the communication terminal by including at least one additional itemin the item group when the provision count is at least a predeterminedcount.

In the method according to the present invention for controlling acommunication system, in step (c), the additional item may be providedto the communication terminal by including at least one additional itemin the item group for a predetermined time starting when the provisioncount reaches at least a predetermined count.

In the method according to the present invention for controlling acommunication system, in step (c), the additional item may be providedto the communication terminal by including at least one additional itemin the item group in accordance with the provision count.

In the method according to the present invention for controlling acommunication system, in step (c), an additional item may also beprovided to the communication terminal in accordance with the item drawnby lottery by the drawing means.

The method according to the present invention for controlling acommunication system may further include the step of (d) transmitting,by the server, information on the reception count to the communicationterminal.

A non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to thepresent invention stores instructions for a computer functioning as acommunication terminal in a communication system including a server andthe communication terminal, the server providing an item to thecommunication terminal in response to a request from the communicationterminal, the instructions causing the computer to perform the steps of:(a) transmitting an item acquisition request to the server; (b)receiving provision, from drawing means in the server, of an item drawnby lottery from among an item group including a plurality of types ofitems with different scarcity values; and (c) receiving provision, fromadditional item providing means in the server, of an additional itemprovided in accordance with a provision count of a number of times anitem is provided by the drawing means.

A communication terminal according to the present invention is in acommunication system including a server and the communication terminal,the server providing an item to the communication terminal in responseto a request from the communication terminal, the communication terminalincluding: communication means for transmitting an item acquisitionrequest to the server, receiving provision, from drawing means in theserver, of an item drawn by lottery from among an item group including aplurality of types of items with different scarcity values, andreceiving provision, from additional item providing means in the server,of an additional item provided in accordance with a provision count of anumber of times an item is provided by the drawing means.

Advantageous Effect of Invention

The server, communication system, method for controlling a communicationsystem, and program according to the present invention increase thevariations on methods for acquiring a game card or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be further described below with reference tothe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system according toEmbodiment 1;

FIG. 2 is an example of item data according to Embodiment 1;

FIG. 3 is an example of user data according to Embodiment 1;

FIG. 4 is an example of additional item data according to Embodiment 1;

FIG. 5 is an image of provision of an additional item according toEmbodiment 1;

FIG. 6 is flowchart of operations by the communication system accordingto Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a communication system according toEmbodiment 2;

FIG. 8 is an example of user data according to Embodiment 2 of thepresent invention;

FIG. 9 is an example of additional item data by level according toEmbodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is an image of provision of an additional item according toEmbodiment 2; and

FIG. 11 is flowchart of operations by the communication system accordingto Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The following describes embodiments of the present invention.

Embodiment 1

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system according toEmbodiment 1 of the present invention. The communication systemaccording to Embodiment 1 of the present invention includes a server 1(game server 1) and a communication terminal 2.

The server 1 includes a communication unit 10, a memory unit 11, and acontrol unit 12.

The communication unit 10 communicates with the communication terminal 2over either or both of a wireless and wired connection.

The memory unit 11 stores information on items provided to thecommunication terminal 2 and on the item type. An “item” refers to anyof a variety of objects used within a game, such as a game cardconstituting a user's deck, a character, a weapon, armor, an ornament, aplant, food, and the like. The item type is a numerical valuerepresenting the scarcity value of the item, a numerical valuerepresenting the category of the item, or the like. Below, the item typeis described as being a numerical value representing the scarcity valueof the item, yet the item type is not limited in this way.

Specifically, the memory unit 11 stores item data 111, user data 112,and gift data 113.

The item data 111 stores data on an image or the like for an itemprovided to the user in association with item identificationinformation. The item identification information is an identifier foruniquely identifying an item in the present system. FIG. 2 illustratesan example of the item data 111. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the item datafor example includes item identification information “ITM001”, an itemname “item A”, an item image “item A image”, an attack strength “1000”,a defense strength “500”, and an item type “3”. The attack strength anddefense strength are parameters related to the strength of the item. Theimage data may be in any image format, such as JPEG, GIF, PNG, or thelike.

In general terms, the user data 112 stores, for each piece of useridentification information, a count of the number of times the server 1has provided an item to the communication terminal 2 and information onthe provided items. Specifically, the user data 112 stores, inassociation, the user identification information, item provision count,and identification information on a provided item. The useridentification information is an identifier for uniquely identifying auser in the present system. The item provision count is a count of thenumber of times the server 1 has provided an item to the communicationterminal 2 pertaining to each piece of user identification information.The identification information on a provided item is item identificationinformation for each item the server 1 has provided to the communicationterminal 2 pertaining to each piece of user identification information.

The user data 112 more preferably includes information on a fever state.The fever state indicates a state in which the item provision count isat least a predetermined count (for example, four times or more). Ingeneral terms, in the present embodiment, an incentive is providedduring the fever state, such as additionally providing the user with anitem (referred to below as an additional item). Preferably, the feverstate is maintained for a predetermined time, and in this case, the userdata 112 stores the start time of the fever state.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the user data 112. As illustrated inFIG. 3, the user data 112 for example includes “UID001” as the useridentification information, “4” as the item provision count, “ON” as theinformation on the fever state, “2013/2/15 13:24” as the start time ofthe fever state, and “ITM002” and “ITM004” as the identificationinformation on a provided item. Note that the information on the feverstate is one of two values, either “ON” or “OFF”. “ON” indicates thatthe user is in the fever state, and “OFF” indicates that the user is notin the fever state.

The gift data 113 stores information on gifts provided to the user. Agift is an additional item that the server 1 provides to the user inaccordance with the item provision count. FIG. 4 illustrates an exampleof the gift data 113. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the gift data 113 forexample includes “1” as the item provision count, “ITM100” as the itemidentification information, and the like. Preferably, as the itemprovision count is higher, the server 1 provides the user with an itemhaving a higher item type as a gift.

The control unit 12 includes drawing means 121 and additional itemproviding means 122 and performs a variety of control pertaining to theserver 1. Upon receiving an item acquisition request from thecommunication terminal 2, the control unit 12 uses the drawing means 121to draw, by lottery, an item for provision and to provide the drawnitem. The item acquisition request includes the user identificationinformation, so that the control unit 12 can determine the user fromwhich the item acquisition request was received. When the control unit12 receives an item acquisition request from the communication terminal2, the drawing means 121 draws an item, by lottery, from among an itemgroup including a plurality of types of items with different scarcityvalues. The item group is, for example, composed of items of item typethree or less. The item group may include a plurality of the same item.The drawing means 121 refers to the user data 112 to draw an item, bylottery, from among items in the item group that have not yet beenprovided to the user.

The control unit 12 provides the item drawn by the drawing means 121 tothe user, i.e. to the communication terminal 2. Specifically, based onthe item data 111, the control unit 12 transmits the item imagecorresponding to the item identification information for the provideditem to the communication terminal 2 via the communication unit 10. Eachtime an item is provided to the communication terminal 2, the controlunit 12 increments the item provision count in the user data 112 by one.When providing an item to the communication terminal 2, the control unit12 also stores the item identification information for the item in theuser data 112 as identification information on a provided item.Furthermore, when the item provision count in the user data 112 is atleast a predetermined count, the control unit 12 stores a value of “ON”for the information on the fever state.

Upon receiving an item acquisition request from the communicationterminal 2, the control unit 12 also uses the additional item providingmeans 122 to select an additional item (gift) corresponding to the itemprovision count and to provide the additional item to the user.

Specifically, the additional item providing means 122 refers to the giftdata 113 and selects an additional item to provide to the user inaccordance with the item provision count. The control unit 12 thenprovides the additional item to the user. Based on the item data 111,the control unit 12 transmits the item image corresponding to theidentification information on an additional item to the communicationterminal 2 via the communication unit 10.

FIG. 5 is an image of the above-described provision of an additionalitem. Preferably, this image is displayed on the communication terminal2 as a screen for requesting item acquisition. The screen for requestingitem acquisition is a user interface for transmitting an itemacquisition request to the server 1. Note that when this image isdisplayed on the communication terminal 2 as a screen for requestingitem acquisition, the screen is provided with a button for transmittingan item request (not illustrated). With this screen, the user canconfirm which additional item can be acquired when requesting anadditional item with the communication terminal 2.

FIG. 5(a) is an image including identification information on a provideditem for a user with an item provision count of zero, information on theitem provision count, and information on an additional item that will beprovided. In area 501 a, the number of provisions of each item in theitem group is displayed. In FIG. 5(a), the number of provisions of itemA, item B, and item C is 0/5 cards, 0/10 cards, and 0/10 cardsrespectively. The denominator is the total number of each item includedin the item group, and the numerator is the number of items provided. Inarea 502 a, information on the item provision count is displayed. InFIG. 5, this information is displayed as an indicator. The value of theindicator increases in proportion to the item provision count.Specifically, the value of the indicator increases by one notch eachtime the item provision count increases by one, and when the itemprovision count reaches a predetermined value (for example, four), thevalue of the indicator reaches its maximum value. In area 503 a,information on the gift to be provided by the additional item providingmeans 122 for the current item provision count is displayed. In FIG.5(a), provision of the gift “item a” is displayed.

By contrast, FIG. 5(b) is an image including identification informationon a provided item for a user with an item provision count that is tonot zero, information on the item provision count, and information on anadditional item that will be provided. As shown in area 501 b, thenumber of provisions of item A, item B, and item C is 0/5 cards, 1/10cards, and 0/10 cards respectively. The value of the indicator in area502 b is greater than the value shown in FIG. 5(a), since the itemprovision count is one. In area 503 b, information on the additionalitem to be provided by the additional item providing means 122 for thecurrent item provision count is displayed. In FIG. 5(b), provision ofthe gift “item b” is displayed.

Furthermore, when the item provision count is at least a predeterminedcount, the additional item providing means 122 provides the 20 user withan additional item by including at least one additional item in the itemgroup. Specifically, the control unit 12 refers to the user data 112,and when the user pertaining to the item acquisition request is in thefever state and is within a certain time from the start time of thefever state (for example, within one hour), the control unit 12 uses theadditional item providing means 122 to include at least one additionalitem in the item group. The additional item that is added is preferablyan item with an item type of 4 or greater. FIG. 5(c) is an image ofprovision of this additional item. As shown in area 501 c of FIG. 5(c),the number of provisions of item A, item B, and item C is 1/5 cards,1/10 cards, and 2/10 cards respectively. As also shown in area 502 c,the value of the indicator is at the maximum value. This indicates thatthe item provision count is at least a predetermined value (four). Inthis case, the user is in the fever state, and “MAX (Fever)” isdisplayed near the indicator. At this time, as displayed in the area 501c, item Z has been added to the item group. When the user pertaining tothe item acquisition request is in the fever state and a certain timehas elapsed from the start time of the fever state, the control unit 12rewrites the fever state in the user data 112 to be “OFF”. The controlunit 12 also sets the value of the indicator to zero.

The communication terminal 2 includes a communication unit 20, a displayunit 21, an operation unit 22, and a control unit 23.

The communication unit 20 communicates with the server 1 over either orboth of a wireless and wired connection. Specifically, based on useroperation of the operation unit 22, the communication unit 20 transmitsan item acquisition request to the server 1. The communication unit 20also receives provision of an item corresponding to the item acquisitionrequest from the server 1.

The display unit 21 is configured using a liquid crystal display, anorganic EL display, or the like and outputs display pertaining to thegame provided by the server 1. For example, the display unit 21 displaysthe item image pertaining to an item provided by the server 1.

The operation unit 22 is configured using buttons, a touch panel, or thelike, and receives input signals from the user during the game. Theoperation unit 22 also transmits the input signals received from theuser to the control unit 23.

The control unit 23 performs a variety of control pertaining to thecommunication terminal 2. For example, based on user operation of theoperation unit 22, the control unit 23 transmits an item acquisitionrequest to the server 1 via the communication unit 20.

Next, operations of the communication system according to Embodiment 1are described using the flowchart in FIG. 6.

First, based on user operation of the operation unit 22, the controlunit 23 in the communication terminal 2 transmits an item acquisitionrequest to the server 1 via the communication unit 20 (step S1).

Next, when the server 1 receives the item acquisition request, theadditional item providing means 122 of the control unit 12 refers to theuser data 112 to determine whether the user pertaining to the itemacquisition request is within a certain time (for example, within onehour) from the start time of the fever state (step S2). When the user iswithin a certain time from the start time of the fever state, thecontrol unit 12 uses the additional item providing means 122 to includeat least one additional item in the item group (step S3). Conversely,when the user is not within a certain time from the start time of thefever state, i.e. when a certain time has elapsed from the start time ofthe fever state, the control unit 12 rewrites the fever state in theuser data 112 to be “OFF” and sets the value of the indicator to zero(step S4).

Next, the control unit 12 uses the drawing means 121 to draw an item, bylottery, from among the item group. The drawing means 121 refers to theuser data 112 to draw an item, by lottery, from among items in the itemgroup that have not yet been provided to the user (step SS).

Next, the additional item providing means 122 refers to the user data112, and in accordance with the item provision count, selects a gift(additional item) to provide to the user based on the gift data 113(step S6). The control unit 12 then provides the item drawn by thedrawing means 121 and the gift selected by the additional item providingmeans 122 to the user. Specifically, based on the item data 111, thecontrol unit 12 transmits the item images corresponding to the itemidentification information for the provided item and the gift to thecommunication terminal 2 via the communication unit 10 (step S7).

Next, the control unit 12 increments the item provision count in theuser data 112 by one and updates the value of the indicator (step S8).Specifically, the control unit 12 increases the value of the indicatorby one notch. The control unit 12 also stores the item identificationinformation for the item in the user data 112 as identificationinformation on a provided item (step S9).

Next, the control unit 12 determines whether the item provision count inthe user data 112 is at least a predetermined count (step S10). When theitem provision count is at least a predetermined count, the control unit12 stores a value of “ON” for the information on the fever state andstores the start time of the fever state (step S11). Processing thenends.

According to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, the control unit 12of the server 1 uses the additional item providing means 122 to providean additional item in accordance with the item provision count.Therefore, the variations on methods for acquiring game cards and thelike can be increased.

Note that the control unit 12 of the server 1 may further provide anadditional item to the user in accordance with the item drawn by thedrawing means 121. Specifically, for example when the item drawn by thedrawing means 121 is less than a predetermined item type, the controlunit 12 may provide a predetermined item (item request ticket or thelike) to the user. The control unit 12 preferably provides thepredetermined item to the user when the rank of the item drawn by thedrawing means 121 is the lowest. The rank of the item is calculated bytotaling a variety of parameters or the like of the item. Suppose, forexample, that the item with the lowest rank is item B. When the itemdrawn by the drawing means 121 is item B, i.e. the item with the lowestrank, the control unit 12 provides the predetermined item to the user.

The server 1 may be configured to receive a reset request at any timefrom the communication terminal 2. In general terms, the reset requestis a request for resetting the identification information on a provideditem in the user data 112. Upon receiving a reset request from thecommunication terminal 2, the control unit 12 of the server 1 deletesthe identification information on a provided item corresponding to theuser identification information of the communication terminal 2. Withthis configuration, for example when an item within the item group isdepleted, the information on provided items can be reset, so that theitem can be acquired again. Upon a reset request, the item provisioncount is preferably left as is, without being returned to zero. In thisway, even upon a reset, the possibility of acquiring an additional itemcan be maintained.

In the present embodiment, the server 1 provides an additional item(gift) to the user in accordance with the item provision count andincludes the additional item in the item group, yet the additional itemmay be provided to the user in either of these ways. For example, it ispossible only to provide an additional item (gift) in accordance withthe item provision count. In this case, step S2 through step S4 in FIG.6 are omitted. It is also possible, for example, only to include anadditional item in the item group in accordance with the item provisioncount (when in the fever state). In this case, step S6 in FIG. 6 isomitted, and in step S7, the server 1 only provides the item to thecommunication terminal 2. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, theadditional item is included in the item group, yet alternatively theadditional item may be provided to the user from a new item groupincluding a plurality of additional items. In other words, a new itemgroup may be caused to appear only when in the fever state. Furthermore,when in the fever state, the user may be allowed to select whether anitem is to be provided from the item group from which items wereprovided before the fever state or from the new item group.

In the present embodiment, the value of the indicator increases inproportion to the item provision count, yet the indicator is not limitedin this way. For example, the value of the indicator may increase by onenotch for an item provision count of one, three notches for an itemprovision count of two, and five notches for an item provision count ofthree. The value of the indicator may thus be caused to increase by adifferent amount depending on the item provision count.

As another example of the value of the indicator not increasing inproportion to the item provision count, the amount of increase in theindicator may be determined randomly at the time of item provision. Whenadopting this configuration, the control unit 12 of the server 1determines that the user is in the fever state when the value of theindicator reaches the maximum value (for example, four notches).

Embodiment 2

The following describes Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 7 isa block diagram illustrating the structure of a communication systemaccording to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The same referencesigns are provided for the same components as in Embodiment 1, and adescription thereof is omitted. As compared to the structure ofEmbodiment 1, the communication system according to Embodiment 2 differsin that the memory unit 11 includes user data 112 b and additional itemdata by level 114, and in that an additional item is provided inaccordance with level. The level is a parameter that increases at eachpredetermined item provision count.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the user data 112 b. As illustrated inFIG. 8, the user data 112 b for example includes “UID001” as the useridentification information, “4” as the item provision count, “2” as thelevel, and “ITM002” and “ITM004” as the identification information on aprovided item. In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, the level increasesby one, i.e. 2, 3, 4, . . . , each time the item provision count reachesa multiple of four, i.e. 4, 8, 12, . . . .

The control unit 12 of the server 1 in Embodiment 2 uses the additionalitem providing means 122 to provide an additional item to the user byincluding, in the item group, at least one additional item determined inaccordance with the user's level. FIG. 9 illustrates an example of theadditional item data by level 114. As illustrated in FIG. 9, theadditional item data by level 114 includes “1” for the level and “-” forthe identification information on an additional item, “2” for the leveland “ITM201” for the identification information on an additional item,and so forth. Identification information on an additional item of “-”indicates that an additional item is not included in the item group. Inother words, when the level is “1”, an additional item is not includedin the item group. Using the additional item providing means 122, thecontrol unit 12 refers to the additional item data by level 114 anddetermines the additional item.

FIG. 10 is an image of provision of an additional item in Embodiment 2.Preferably, this image is displayed on the communication terminal 2 as ascreen for requesting item acquisition. Note that when this image isdisplayed on the communication terminal 2 as a screen for requestingitem acquisition, the screen is provided with a button for transmittingan item request (not illustrated).

FIG. 10(a) is an image for when the level is “2”. In area 1001 a, thenumber of provisions of each item in the item group is shown. The numberof provisions of item A, item B, item C, and item Z is 1/5 cards, 1/10cards, 2/10 cards, and 1/1 card respectively. The indicator in area 1002a shows a value corresponding to an item provision count of “5”. Thevalue of the indicator is reset each time the level increases, and thecurrent level is shown near the indicator. When this screen is displayedon the communication terminal 2, the indicator allows the user easily tograsp the item provision count necessary to rise to the next level. Inarea 1003 a, information on the gift to be provided by the additionalitem providing means 122 for the current item provision count isdisplayed. In FIG. 10(a), provision of the gift “item c” is displayed.

FIG. 10(b) is an image for when the level is “3”. In area 1001 b, thenumber of provisions of each item in the item group is shown. The numberof provisions of item A, item B, item C, item Z, and item Z2 is 3/5cards, 5/10 cards, 3/10 cards, 1/1 card, and 0/1 card respectively. InFIG. 10(b), since the level has risen to “3”, the item “item Z2” hasbeen added to the item group. The indicator in area 1002 b shows a valuecorresponding to an item provision count of “9”. In area 1203 b,information on the gift to be provided by the additional item providingmeans 122 for the current item provision count is displayed. In FIG.10(b), provision of the gift “item d” is displayed.

Next, operations of the communication system according to Embodiment 2are described using the flowchart in FIG. 11.

First, based on user operation of the operation unit 22, the controlunit 23 in the communication terminal 2 transmits an item acquisitionrequest to the server 1 via the communication unit 20 (step S21).

Next, when the server 1 receives the item acquisition request, theadditional item providing means 122 of the control unit 12 refers to theuser data 112 to retrieve the level of the user pertaining to the itemacquisition request and refers to the additional item data by level 114to include an additional item corresponding to the level in the itemgroup (step S22).

Next, the control unit 12 draws an item, by lottery, from among the itemgroup with the drawing means 121. The drawing means 121 refers to theuser data 112 to draw an item, by lottery, from among items in the itemgroup that have not yet been provided to the user (step S23).

Next, the additional item providing means 122 refers to the user data112, and in accordance with the item provision count, selects a gift(additional item) to provide to the user based on the gift data 113(step S24). The control unit 12 then provides the item drawn by thedrawing means 121 and the gift selected by the additional item providingmeans 122 to the user. Specifically, based on the item data 111, thecontrol unit 12 transmits the item images corresponding to the itemidentification information for the provided item and the gift to thecommunication terminal 2 via the communication unit 10 (step S25).

Next, the control unit 12 increments the item provision count in theuser data 112 by one (step S26). The control unit 12 also stores theitem identification information for the item in the user data 112 asidentification information on a provided item (step S27).

Next, the control unit 12 rewrites the level in the user data 112 inaccordance with the item provision count in the user data 112 (stepS28). Processing then ends.

According to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, the control unit 12of the server 1 uses the additional item providing means 122 to providean additional item in accordance with the level that corresponds to theitem provision count. Therefore, the variations on methods for acquiringgame cards and the like can be increased.

In the present embodiment, the level rises in direct proportion to theitem provision count, yet the level is not limited in this way. The itemprovision count necessary for rising to the next level may increase asthe level becomes higher. For example, the level may increase by one,i.e. 2, 3, 4, . . . , as the item provision count reaches 4, 12, 24, . .. .

Note that after reaching a predetermined level (for example, level “2”),the item provision count and level may respectively be reset to “0” and“1” if the item provision count does not reach the count necessary forthe next level (level “3”) within a certain time.

In the present embodiment, the server 1 provides an additional item(gift) to the user in accordance with the item provision count andincludes an additional item in accordance with the level in the itemgroup, yet the additional item may be provided to the user in either ofthese ways. For example, it is possible only to provide an additionalitem (gift) in accordance with the item provision count. In this case,step S22 in FIG. 11 is omitted. It is possible, for example, only toinclude an additional item in accordance with the level in the itemgroup based on the item provision count. In this case, step S24 in FIG.11 is omitted, and in step S25, the server 1 only provides the item tothe communication terminal 2.

A computer is preferably used to function as the communication terminal2. A program containing the processing for achieving the functions ofthe communication terminal 2 is stored in the memory unit of thecomputer, and the functions are achieved by the central processing unit(CPU) of the computer reading and executing the program.

Although the present invention has been described by way of drawings andembodiments, it is to be noted that various changes and modificationswill be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the presentdisclosure. Therefore, such changes and modifications are to beunderstood as included within the scope of the present invention. Forexample, the functions and the like included in the various means,steps, and the like may be reordered in any logically consistent way.Furthermore, means, steps, and the like may be combined into one ordivided.

For example, in Embodiments 1 and 2, an example is described in whichthe item data 111, user data 112, and gift data 113 (as well as theadditional item data by level 114) are stored in the memory unit 11 ofthe server 1, and the control unit 12 functions as the drawing means 121and the additional item providing means 122, yet the present inventionis not limited in this way. The item data 111, user data 112, gift data113 (and additional item data by level 114), drawing means 121, andadditional item providing means 122 may, for example, be provided ineither the server 1 or the communication terminal 2. Out ofconsideration for factors such as the burden of game processing and theperformance of the server 1 and the communication terminal 2, the itemdata 111, user data 112, gift data 113 (and additional item data bylevel 114), drawing means 121, and additional item providing means 122may all be provided only in the server 1 or only in the communicationterminal 2.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   1: Server (game server)    -   2: Communication terminal    -   10: Communication unit    -   11: Memory unit    -   111: Item data    -   112, 112 b: User data    -   113: Gift data    -   114: Additional item data by level    -   12: Control unit    -   121: Drawing means    -   122: Additional item providing means    -   20: Communication unit    -   21: Display unit    -   22: Operation unit    -   23: Control unit    -   501 a, 502 a, 503 a: Area    -   501 b, 502 b, 503 b: Area    -   601, 602, 703: Area    -   1201 a, 1202 a, 1203 a: Area    -   1201 b, 1202 b, 1203 b: Area

The invention claimed is:
 1. A server comprising: a memory, which stores(i) an item group including a plurality of types of items with differentscarcity values, and (ii) a provision count of the number of times anitem is provided to a user, and a processor, wherein the processor: inresponse to a request from the user, draws an item from among the itemgroup stored in the memory, and provides the item to the user; andincreases the possibility of acquisition of an item with a scarcityvalue more than a predetermined value within the item group by the userwhen the provision count of the number of times reaches a predeterminedcount.
 2. The server according to claim 1, wherein the processorincludes the item, with the scarcity value more than the predeterminedvalue, in the item group in accordance with the provision count.
 3. Theserver according to claim 1, wherein the processor provides the itemwith the scarcity value more than the predetermined value to the user byincluding the item in the item group when (i) the provision countreaches a predetermined count, and (ii) a time since the provision countreached the predetermined count is within a predetermined time.
 4. Theserver according to claim 1, wherein the processor transmits informationon the provision count to a communication terminal of the user.
 5. Theserver according to claim 4, wherein the processor provides another typeof item to the user in accordance with the item that is drawn from amongthe item group.
 6. The server according to claim 5, wherein as theprovision count becomes higher, the scarcity value of the another typeof item that is provided becomes higher.
 7. The server according toclaim 1, wherein the processor provides another type of item to the userin accordance with the item that is drawn from among the item group. 8.The server according to claim 7, wherein as the provision count becomeshigher, the scarcity value of the another type of item that is providedbecomes higher.
 9. A method for controlling a communication systemcomprising a server and a communication terminal of a user, the serverincluding (i) a memory, which stores an item group including a pluralityof types of items with different scarcity values, and a provision countof the number of times an item is provided to a user, and (ii) aprocessor, the method comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting, by thecommunication terminal, an item acquisition request to the server; (b)in response to the item acquisition request from the communicationterminal, drawing an item from among the item group stored in thememory, and providing the item to the user, step (b) being performed bythe processor; (c) increasing the possibility of acquisition of an itemwith a scarcity value more than a predetermined value within the itemgroup by the user when the provision count of the number of timesreaches a predetermined count, step (c) being performed by theprocessor.
 10. The server according to claim 9, further comprising thestep of: (d) including the item, with the scarcity value more than thepredetermined value, in the item group in accordance with the provisioncount, step (d) being performed by the processor.
 11. The methodaccording to claim 9, further comprising the step of: (d) providing theitem with the scarcity value more than the predetermined value to theuser by including the item in the item group when (i) the provisioncount reaches a predetermined count, and (ii) a time since the provisioncount reached the predetermined count is within a predetermined time,step (d) being performed by the processor.
 12. The method according toclaim 9, further comprising the step of: (d) transmitting information onthe provision count to a communication terminal of the user, step (d)being performed by the processor.
 13. The method according to claim 12,further comprising the step of: (e) providing another type of item tothe user in accordance with the item that is drawn from among the itemgroup, step (e) being performed by the processor.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 13, wherein as the provision count becomes higher,the scarcity value of the another type of item that is provided becomeshigher.
 15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the stepof: (d) providing another type of item to the user in accordance withthe item that is drawn from among the item group, step (d) beingperformed by the processor.
 16. The method according to claim 15,wherein as the provision count becomes higher, the scarcity value of theanother type of item that is provided becomes higher.
 17. Anon-transitory computer readable recording medium storing instructionsfor a computer functioning as a server in a communication systemincluding the server and a communication terminal of a user, the serverincluding (i) a memory, which stores an item group including a pluralityof types of items with different scarcity values, and a provision countof the number of times an item is provided to a user and (ii) aprocessor, the instruction causing the computer to perform the steps of:(a) in response to an item acquisition request from the communicationterminal, drawing an item from among the item group stored in thememory, and providing the item to the user; (b) increasing thepossibility of acquisition of an item with a scarcity value more than apredetermined value within the item group by the user when the provisioncount of the number of times reaches a predetermined count.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 17,the instruction causing the computer to further perform the step of: (c)including the item, with the scarcity value more than the predeterminedvalue, in the item group in accordance with the provision count.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 17,the instruction causing the computer to further perform the step of: (d)providing the item with the scarcity value more than the predeterminedvalue to the user by including the item in the item group when (i) theprovision count reaches a predetermined count, and (ii) a time since theprovision count reached the predetermined count is within apredetermined time.
 20. The non-transitory computer readable recordingmedium according to claim 17, the instruction causing the computer tofurther perform the step of: (e) transmitting information on theprovision count to a communication terminal of the user.
 21. Thenon-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 20,the instruction causing the computer to further perform the step of: (g)providing another type of item to the user in accordance with the itemthat is drawn from among the item group.
 22. The non-transitory computerreadable recording medium according to claim 21, wherein as theprovision count becomes higher, the scarcity value of the another typeof item that is provided becomes higher.
 23. The non-transitory computerreadable recording medium according to claim 17, the instruction causingthe computer to further perform the step of: (f) providing another typeof item to the user in accordance with the item that is drawn from amongthe item group.
 24. The non-transitory computer readable recordingmedium according to claim 23, wherein as the provision count becomeshigher, the scarcity value of the another type of item that is providedbecomes higher.